Bittersweet and Strange
by Fandom-Menace
Summary: A story of love born from darkness... Yeah no. Tried to be poetic and it didn't work. It's an eventual romance between Belle and Maleficent from Once Upon a Time. I don't ship it personally, but it was requested by Ragamuffin47 who has been so supporting of my other fic that their request couldn't be ignored. Seriously, thank you. I hope y'all enjoy
1. The Start of Something New

Belle sighs and rubs at the cuffs of her wrists. She was glad Ruby's name had finally been cleared but she wished it could have been done without her spending most of last night handcuffed to a radiator. The librarian chuckled. She had no idea one person could have so many adventures in such a short span of time.

Belle startled herself when she almost ran into the front doors of the library, her thoughts muffling her other senses. She reached into her pocket, taking out the key Mr. Gold, Rumple, had given her and unlocking the double doors. She breathed in the smell of worn pages and soft leather and smiled softly. No matter what realm she was in, books always made her feel at home.

She walked around, grazing her fingers along the shelves and placing books back where they belonged. Belle was about to contemplate the benefits of rearranging the whole system — she didn't exactly have anything else to do — when she heard a slight rattle of metal from the elevator. It wasn't very loud, barely a bit of tinkling, and she wouldn't have heard it if she hadn't been standing stock still. She waited a few moments more and when she heard it again, Belle made her way over to the closed metal doors.

There was no gap, no break in the soundly sealed doors. Belle reached up and felt with her fingers along the edges, even knocking a few times. She pressed her ear up against the cold metal and waited. A scattering of stones accompanied the sound of metal this time. Belle's curiosity sparked and it took all of her willpower not to start prying the doors open with sheer force, regardless of how obviously futile it would be. Rumple wouldn't tell her not to mess with the elevator if it wasn't dangerous. He may be a liar in most regards, but she did believe he genuinely cared for her safety.

Belle sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the doors. She wasn't sure what to do next. This was a conundrum she had never expected to encounter. It reminded her of one or two mystery/horror novels she had gotten the chance to read. A character is faced with a forbidden door or room and are so caught up in the unknown, they go inside without a second thought. This generally leads to their death or severe injury. There was no way Belle was going to let that happen to her.

She scanned the doors and the adjacent panels, searching for any clue as to what, or who, was down below. Nothing but various gauges and levers met her. She looked again and paused. There was a box with a speaker underscored by a few buttons. Belle cautiously stood up and made her way over. It looked similar to the plastic boxes at the offices and apartments.

"What were those called again?" she whispered to herself. The word popped into her head and she couldn't contain her small squeak of delight. It was an intercom! She was pretty sure anyone from this realm would think her an idiot for her interest in the device, but it wasn't as if they were common in the Enchanted Forest, if they even existed there at all. Belle shook her head. That was another line of thought entirely.

She examined the intercom system and noted the convenient labels under the buttons. One was labeled, "Speak," another, "Mute," and the last, "Listen." The one marked Mute was pushed down and Belle only hesitated a second before pressing it. Immediately a green light appeared on the button marked Listen, apparently not a button at all, and Belle almost stumbled at the sound patching through. Despite the minor crackle of the speaker, it was clear the sound coming through was breathing.

"Oh my goodness," she gasped. She couldn't believe it. Something was down there and it was alive. She shuffled back a few steps and managed to take some deep breaths. Her mind couldn't help but go to the time when she was trapped in the asylum cell, all alone. Whatever or whoever was down there had clearly been alone these past 28 years and hadn't been given an opportunity to break free yet like Belle had. Granted it was possible the thing down there was trapped for good reason, no one deserved to be alone, especially for such a long span of time.

Belle steeled herself and walked over to the intercom, pressing down the button marked Speak. She took an added shaky breath before actually speaking. "Hello? Is anyone down there?" She turned her end off and listened. Nothing. Belle sighed. Maybe she was going mad or perhaps she had been too quick to assume it was a living creature and not gusts of air. Gusts of air deep underground in a sealed cavern which sounded very much like breathing and were strong enough to shift stones. Even Belle couldn't manage to convince herself of that tale.

She turned away from the elevator and began pacing. She didn't have very many options. Tell someone she wanted to check out the cavern underneath the library. Not a chance. Crack into the elevator and check it out without knowing what's down there. Big no. She was curious, not suicidal. She glanced around and stared at the shelves of books. Maybe... just maybe she could at least let the creature down there know they weren't alone. It was the least she could do. "And if anyone comes in here, I can play off reading out loud to myself. No harm, no foul. Now which one should I start with..."

Belle strolled among the shelves and glanced over summaries of anything that seemed mildly interesting. She wanted to make a good first impression if anything. Finally, she found something. She grabbed the book off the shelf and dragged a chair near the intercom, pressing the Speak button before sitting down. "I'm not quite sure what genre you're into, but this is one of my favorites. It's a whole volume of novels and short stories by a man named Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a private detective called Sherlock Holmes. His companion, John Watson, is a doctor who assists him in these adventures and it's written from his point fo view. Onto the first tale I suppose. "A Study in Scarlet." Oh this is a good one!" Belle took a moment to clear her throat before properly beginning.

"Chapter one. Mr. Sherlock Holmes. In the year 1878 I took of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to..."


	2. A Date with Destiny?

It took only a few days for Belle to finish both volume I and volume II with all the time she had taken to spending at the library. Even though she had gained no response beyond a small, possibly imagined, grumble at the end of the first volume, Belle continued to wake up as early as dawn in order to get to the library for a few hours before she was required to open it up to the public.

She couldn't quite explain the strange pull she felt connecting her to whatever was down below. It wasn't as if she had anything else to do. The others were taken up with finding a way to bring Emma and Snow back, but didn't really require Belle's help. So she had come to the library every day this week and read to the tenant down below.

Belle was just finishing up Charlotte's Web and her voice was running a bit ragged. "She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both. The End." Belle closed the book with a sigh and was surprised to find tears running down her cheeks. She wiped at them and chuckled. "I suppose I wasn't expecting it to the end like that. What did you think?"

She glanced over at the intercom system and strained her ears. Silence greeted her once again. "I imagine you wouldn't want some measly human hearing you cry if you were anyway. Can't imagine they'd have put you down there if you didn't think you were high and mighty enough to attack people." Belle got up from her seat and walked over to set the completed book on a shelf. "You villains and your pride."

"Who are you talking to, Belle?" The librarian jumped at the jangling of the bell and accompanied voice. She looked over and was startled to find Rumplestiltskin standing just inside the doorway. A glimmer of concern shone on his face, but the rest of him was edged in nerves.

She was tempted to reply with the truth of it all, that she talking to the unknown creature down under, but something told her the action wouldn't be received well. "Oh just to the books. There are some pretty nasty characters." Rumple cautiously walked over and glanced at the book she had just put away.

"Nasty characters in a children's book?" Belle felt her neck heat in embarrassment and prayed the man didn't notice.

"Everyone has a dark side. You should know that better than anyone else." As she spoke, Belle strolled over to some other shelves, carefully maneuvering in a way which kept the Dark One from looking at the elevator. "May I ask why you're here?"

Rumple shifted on his feet and Belle noted the way his fingers had begun to twitch at her question. "Well you see, if you're not too busy, I was wondering if perhaps I could cash in on the lunch date you offered?"

Belle could have kicked herself. She had totally forgotten her offer and was kind of regretting it. Still, she couldn't exactly rescind it now that he was standing before her ready to take her at her words. She took a deep breath and smoothed her skirt. "I'd be delighted. It is lunch time. Would you mind giving me some time to freshen up and I'll meet you at Granny's in say," she glanced at a clock on the wall, "fifteen minutes?"

The tension and nerves in Rumple's body seemed to slip away and he allowed himself an easy smile. "I'll see you then." With a duck of his head and another jingle of the bell over the door, he was gone.

"I really have done myself in this time." Belled dragged herself ver to her reading chair and slumped down. "He's not a bad man. Okay, maybe he has killed and maimed and tortured and I am not making anywhere near a compelling argument for myself." She let out a heavy sigh and stared at the intercom. "If you ever wanted to pipe up and give me some advice, I could use some right about now." She continued to stare for another minute or so before giving up and gathering her things from around the room.

"Don't say I never gave you the opportunity to stop me. If this goes poorly, I'm blaming it on you. Mainly because I don't want to blame myself." Belle stopped in front of the intercom with the few odds and ends she never left behind tucked away in a modest purse Ruby had given her. "Now, I'm going out and if the library is burned down in that time, I am going to be extremely upset. You hear me? Make sure no funny business happens while I'm away."

Belle turned and headed for the door before pausing once again. "And if you decide to use the intercom and speak while I'm gone, I'll know. There are cameras and we will have words if you do. Wish me luck!" Belle reached out and exited the library. There was no turning back now.


	3. A Small Response

The next day after her hamburger date with Rumple, Belle arrived at the library more than a little frazzled. She dropped her bag on a desk and practically stormed over to the intercom system, checking it was on before speaking what was on her mind. "Alright so, the date was fine. Totally fine. He was nice, I was nice, the food was good. Did you know hamburgers and iced tea are delicious together? Also good morning. Sorry. Anyway, it was all going just fine until Regina shows up and basically threatens my life. In reality, it was more of her warning Rumple that her mother might try to kill me, but STILL! We were on a date and she comes over and predicts my possible death.

"The very same woman who locked me up in an asylum for twenty-eight years and in a tower long before that. Excuse me! Absolutely uncalled for and more than a little rude! Ugh! You know, if it wouldn't stoop me down to her level, I'd give her a hell of a right hook! Straight in the nose! She could fix it with magic, but I'll ask Rumple to use some of his own to prevent her! Actually no I wouldn't. I couldn't use him like that." Belle finally stopped her pacing and sat in her usual reading chair.

"I'm overreacting, aren't I? I mean I'm only partially used to the whole 'threat on my life' thing and it's usually direct. Knife under my chin, magic holding me in place, that sort of thing." She pulled her feet onto the seat with her and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'm not used to not really knowing what the threat is or when it'll happen." She glanced up at the elevator and gave a slightly hysterical giggle as tears began to cloud her vision.

"I must seem like a bumbling fool to you, huh? Look at the librarian quaking in her boots because of a little death threat." Another giggle bubbled in her throat, but was sharply cut off by a low grumble from the intercom. Belle immediately dropped her legs, leaned over and pressed her ear to the space just before the speaker. The sound coming through almost sounded like a reassuring purr.

Belle wiped her eyes and pressed her hands against the elevator frame. "So it takes me to be near a mental breakdown for you to respond? I suppose it's a good thing you haven't so far then. Means I've been sound of mind until now, right?" Belle gasped as a shudder traveled from down below all the way up to her hand. She broke into a smile and a genuine laugh escaped from her lips. "Thanks. Try not to break down the elevator while cheering me up though, alright? I'm the one who gets in trouble." Another shudder came through the frame before Belle walked away to pick out a book to read.

"Let's see here. Oh? Frankenstein by a woman named Mary Shelley? I don't believe I've read this one before. How about we give it a try?" Belle grabbed the book and a bottle of water before settling herself in the chair. "I really should look into getting a more comfortable chair. This one's good enough but I don't exactly enjoy the aches it gives my back the next morning. I should also probably mention I plan on going on a picnic date with Rumple soon. I hope you don't mind me leaving you alone during the times I go out. I can't stay in this library forever."

Belle paused and glanced around. "Though, if I'm being honest, I'd prefer to." The librarian shook her head and opened up to the first page of the book. "Enough of my thoughts, time to see what Mary Shelley has to say about this Frankenstein." As she began reading the first chapter aloud, Belle felt herself settle and calm down. This was her safe haven now, a place she could always return to. Little did she know it would be some time before she returned to it again.


	4. A Second Beginning

Belle tiredly stumbled into the library and sat down at a desk. She laid her head down and allowed herself to finally cry and release all her pent up feelings. It has been a few weeks since she sent Mr. Gold, Rumple, out of Storybrooke and she was so tired of all the research she had been busying herself with since then. Yes, she was happy to help, especially today with the Chernabog, but it drained her. She didn't allow herself time to properly deal with the emotions which had been festering and rolling about inside her and they were starting to tear her apart.

Eventually her sobs died down and she wiped her eyes. Belle gazed around at the library which had been her constant companion through all her troubles. Her eyes faltered and stopped when they came across the elevator. It had been roughly a year since she had sat down and read to the unknown creature housed below the town. Her reading chair was coated in a thin layer of dust and she could see the button marked Speak was still pressed down.

Belle stood abruptly, the chair she had been previously sitting on knocked over from the force. It was still on. It had been left on for the year. She wasn't even sure if the creature had come over with them to the Enchanted Forest after Pan's attack. It could have been sitting, waiting for her to speak, to come back, all this time. She had abandoned the creature. It didn't matter what excuse she gave, she had abandoned it without reason and hadn't given the poor thing a thought since.

Belle shakily walked over, her throat threatening to close up. Whatever was down there had probably heard her talk to Hook about Rumple. It had probably heard her voice and wondered why she wasn't talking to it anymore.

Belle's hand shook as she touched the edge of the speaker box. She cleared her throat and took a steadying breath, or rather it was meant to be steadying but somehow served to increase her nerves instead.

"He- ahem, hello? Are you... are you still down there?" She paused and listened, waiting for the low growl or shaking of the elevator frame. Nothing. "I'm sorry for going away. It doesn't excuse anything, but I truly am sorry. I didn't mean to leave. I didn't mean to... to forget you. I hope you can forgive me in time." She paused again but there was still no response.

Belle swallowed and slowly walked over to a book shelf. She reached up and pulled out her all-time favorite, Her Handsome Hero, before walking back over to the now dusty reading chair. With a few swipes of her hand, she cleared the dust and settled down into the chair. It felt foreign and familiar at the same time.

"This is, um, this is my favorite. Her Handsome Hero. I know it's been awhile but I thought you might enjoy hearing a story again. Here goes."

Belle spent the next hour reading to her old friend. The words transported her out of her hurt and into the story's pages. She remembered how much she loved this and she was shocked how she had ever forgotten.

She was halfway through the book, just about to get to the part where the hero encounters the villain for their epic battle, when Regina entered the library. Belle tripped over the sentence she had been reading and stared in surprise.

"Regina? What are you doing here?" Regina surveyed her with mild curiosity, her gaze traveling between the book, Belle, and the elevator.

"I could ask you the same thing. We managed to defeat the Chernabog, in case you were wondering. Though I'm not sure you were." Belle did not like the way Regina's eyebrow had arched as she had spoken the last sentence.

"Could you get to the point please? I don't question what you do with your time." Regina snorted.

"Who am I to judge a bookworm reading out loud to a hunk of metal? Anyway, I came here because I thought you should be aware we didn't defeat the creature without some help from Ursula and Cruella De Vil." Belle couldn't help her stumble backwards and sharp intake of breath.

"They're here? In town?"

"Yes, though Emma and the others are keeping a close eye on them for now. I take it you have a history with the two of them?" Belle set her book down on the chair and began gathering her stuff. She needed to get somewhere safer.

"You could say that. They tried to kill me once."

"It seems everyone's tried to kill you at some point." Belle glared at her as she strode towards the door. "Sorry. Where are you going now?" Belle relinquished her stare and paused before pushing the door open.

"To the safest place in this town. Mr. Gold's pawn shop."


	5. First Encounter

It's the morning after Ursula and Cruella stole from the pawn shop and Belle is not in a good mood. She can't believe she let them get the best of her. She should have had her guard up and remembered Ursula's tentacles, especially considering there was a time they had wrapped around her throat.

Belle let out a huff as she rummaged through her bag for the key to the library. It wasn't as if there was anything she could do now. She was useless. She couldn't research her way out of this.

The librarian was beginning to consider the merits of knocking all the shelves down when she opened the door to the sight of a figure waiting for her. The unexpected presence of the person nearly caused Belle to drop her key and she searched helplessly for something to fight off the intruder with. Coming up empty, she did the one thing she could do. Talk.

"How did you get in here?" The figure chuckled and Belle could hear the intruder shifting about. Suddenly, with a snap of their fingers, the lights came on and Belle immediately recognized the intruder as Maleficent. The enchantress was in a vest and fedora rather than her usual horns and black dress, but it was most definitely her. "You can skip answering the earlier question. I assume you're the reason the others stole from the pawn shop?"

Maleficent placed a hand over her heart. "I'm hurt. They were merely returning something to its rightful owner." Belle's hands fisted at her side. She had had her fill with fake emotions and twisted words. She'd received enough of them from Rumple to last a lifetime.

"Why are you here?" Maleficent strolled easily through the room, dragging her fingertips along book stacks and desks. She eventually reached the reading chair in front of the elevator and delicately picked up Her Handsome Hero from its position on the seat. She thumbed through the pages before closing the unfinished book and looking up at Belle.

"You know, you never did finish. I was looking forward to hearing the cause behind the villain's actions." Belle's jaw dropped.

"H-how did you? I don't understand." Maleficent's eyes widened in surprise.

"You truly had no idea who you'd been reading to that whole time? No one told you the beast they were keeping in that disgusting cavern was me?" Belle shook her head in disbelief.

"They wouldn't keep a person underground for twenty-eight years. They're not that cruel." As Belle spoke, she immediately knew how untrue her words really were. Maleficent did as well and chuckled.

"My, your denial of people's true natures is spectacular! The clear answer is that they would. Regina had no trouble locking you in an asylum for that length of time. Why would she have any qualms over keeping me locked down there as a dragon?"

"A dragon?"

"The first form I was locked in, yes. Usually I can will between forms, but not here. At least not during those curse years." Belle's face scrunched in confusion.

"What do you mean 'first form'?" Maleficent walked towards Belle, deliberately keeping herself from making any sudden movements.

"Well first it was the dragon, then it was a pile of dust, until finally it was a strange undead zombie corpse creature. Honestly, the smell was by far the worst part. Also I'm pretty sure I have a pebble or two still lodged under my skin."

"I'm not sure how to respond to that," Belle replied honestly.

"I'm not sure either. I don't even think the rocks stay in the same place to tell you the truth. Another thing I'll have to get used to I suppose." Belle was surprised at the laugh threatening to escape her lips. Instead of giving in to the unwelcome impulse, she cleared her throat and took a step back. She was admittedly surprised again when a flash of hurt crossed the other woman's features.

"You haven't answered my question from earlier. Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see how you'd react to who you've been reading to. It wasn't entirely what I expected. Also, I was wondering if I could borrow the book. I wasn't lying when I said I was looking forward to certain parts." Belle searched Maleficent's face, scanning for any signs of falsehoods or trickery, but found only earnest hope and honesty.

"This is a library and you are, technically, a member of the town so you have the right to borrow books. You simply have to guarantee you'll take care of any books you take."

"Why of course," Maleficent said with a flourish. "It is your favorite one, isn't it?" With a wink and a puff of smoke, the enchantress disappeared. Belle stood gaping at the spot where the woman had been for quite some time. The whole conversation had left her thoroughly perplexed and disturbed. She wasn't sure what to make of any of it.

Belle eventually moved from her position in the doorway to a seat at a desk where she noticed a card had been left. A card that was etched with a certain someone's name and a phone number. Belle took it in her hand and began twirling it between her fingers. There was no way Maleficent had changed. Unless the reading Belle had been doing had morphed something in her. Belle shook her head. Impossible. Whatever this was, whatever Maleficent was starting with her was some sort of game. A means to a devious end. It had to be.


End file.
